Ulster Road wastewater pipeline replacement

What’s happening?

**IMPORTANT UPDATE -  After recent careful consideration of current work we have decided that to ensure the safety of road users over Christmas and New Year Ulster Road will remain in the Stage 6 single-lane closure and detour (this is a change since our communications 13/12/2024). Work will not be occurring between 20 December and 6 January, however traffic management personnel will remain on site to assist road users around the lane-closure and detours. We appreciate your patience and understanding. **

To maintain a reliable wastewater service and reduce future leaks and breaks, we are replacing 3.9km of an existing underground wastewater pressure main pipeline under Ulster Road and installing about 300m of new gravity main pipeline along North Road.

The section of pipeline being replaced does not connect to any household services. It is a Pressure Main which transports wastewater from outer suburbs on its journey to a Recovery Facility before being 100% re-used on a tree farm.

Work will be carried out in stages by our authorised contractor DM Civil and will be completed by underground horizontal drilling through small pits in the road. Please see the section below "When Is This Happening" for further details on lane closures, timings and detours.

Where will the new pipeline go?

The replacement wastewater pipeline will be below ground:

• Under Ulster Road, between Lower King Road and North Road.
• A short 300m connection in the verge of North Road, near the Ulster Road intersection.

The location of the proposed work and the construction stages is shown on the map below.

When is this happening?

Construction commenced on 17 June 2024 near the Lower King / Ulster Road intersection and has progressed along the route towards North Road. After recent careful consideration of current ground conditions and our work this week, we have decided that to ensure the safety of road users over Christmas and New Year Ulster Road will remain in the Stage 6 single-lane closure and detour (this is a change since our communications 13/12/2024). Work will not be occurring between 20 December and 6 January, however traffic management personnel will remain on site to assist road users around the lane-closure and detour. We appreciate your patience and understanding. 

DM Civil will return in early-2025 to complete reinstatements, install valves and connect the pipeline into existing infrastructure. This work will require further single-lane closures, detours and stop-start traffic management. These 2025 lane closures will be a very short timeframe, occur in reverse order from North Road to Lower King Road, and reflect the 2024 stages (in table below). Once timings of the 2025 single-lane closures are confirmed, they will be provided on this project page and an update sent via email.

To ensure the safety of road users and workers, please continue to follow all traffic controller directions and the signed speed limits. 

How will this impact me?

To minimise disruption, it is planned to drill the replacement pipeline via small pits and underground drilling below Ulster Road. 

Single lane road closures will be required along Ulster Road during the construction. Detours and traffic management will be in place. Maps of the stages of construction is above. 

The detour for through traffic for the majority of the work will be along Collingwood and Angove Road, to minimise additional traffic around the schools and hospital.

Access to properties and businesses will be maintained, although you may need to approach your property from a different direction.

There should be no impact to your water or wastewater service from this work. Should a planned outage be required, residents will be notified in advance.

As with any construction activities, there will be an increase in vehicle movement, noise, vibrations and dust in the area. However, all Water Corporation employees and contractors endeavour to minimise disruption where possible. 

I'd Like More Information

We’d like to provide you with as much notice as possible about the work and keep you updated on lane closures and detours. You can subscribe on this page to receive project updates. 

For other project enquiries, please contact:

• Water Corporation’s Community Engagement Senior Advisor, Emma Halligan on 9420 2198 or email emma.halligan@watercorporation.com.au
• Water Corporation’s Project Manager, Albert Duong on 0437 252 493 or albert.duong@watercorporation.com.au
• DM Civil Stakeholder Manager, Rebekah Rees on 0438 952 722 or email Rebekah.Rees@dmcivil.com.au
• DM Civil Project Manager, Sam Evans on 0400 725 251 or email Sam.Evans@dmcivil.com.au (Including out of hours project access or issues).

 For any faults or outages please call 13 13 75.